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Phil Sewell For Voices of Plum Politics, Plum, PA (2026)

11/08/2023

Congratulations Mark, Lindsey, and Steve on their election wins yesterday! I would love to see bipartisanship for the greater good over the next few years. With my girls in the district I’ll be keeping a close eye on certain decisions being made that may effect their future . I’ll be sure to hold entire board and council accountable of shortcomings. Renee, Mike, and Michelle deserve special congratulations as well . This wasn’t an easy race and everyone has been their feelings about one thing or another. The bottom line is these kids need Leaders, not oversized children with glorified titles. Be the change and keep the political games out of it.
🦾🤓✌🏽

05/16/2023

I’ll be working Plum Sr Center Polls tonight people ! Make sure you get out and Vote Today Plum! 🇺🇸🦾🤓🗳️💜💛

05/05/2023

Eric Gumkowski for Plum School Director
Mark Stropkaj for Plum School Board
Tom Feeney for Plum School Director
Gary Motor
Linsey Arenth
Aaron Butler

Potential Re-elects
Mike Devine
Michelle Stepnick
Caliguiri for Plum School Director
Adam Hill for Plum School Director

Just a few Questions for Candidates. Remember if I’m critical of you it’s most likely because I see that you have a fighting chance in this race and it’s important to know more about the front runners here.
If you were not included but have something to add here please be my guest! Your input could potentially change someone’s views of you.

1. Would you consider Mental Health an issue of concern for your districts students?

2. How would you contribute to creating healthier habits for districts students?

3. What is your stance on comprehensive s*x education? Do you feel it’s necessary to begin at an earlier age? Why ? Why Not?

4. Do you feel D.E.I. And social activist issues should take a front seat while creating curriculum for future classes?

5. Do you agree with creating infrastructure for single/unis*x bathrooms to solve any gender bathroom issues?

6. Do you have a plan for changing the trajectory of declining academic scores in Plum jr and high school students?

Of course there’s much more where these came from. Hopefully we’ll have a chance to know even more soon.

Thank you for participating.

04/29/2023

🤓Parents of Plum Politics 💜💛

The fact that what happened a few nights ago is tied to the GOP and this Republican committee of Plum Boro saddens me tremendously.

I am not a committee member as of yet, but I’ve been attending meetings in hopes of helping the community by being as informed as possible. Ive met some truly amazing people. I’ve been able to build relationships with some people that I would hope can last a lifetime.
I’ve also seen the same arguments ongoing. Details of Bylaw contents, allowances of proxies, new committee member election processes, how candidates are endorsed, and whether or not we defer to county bylaws if we don’t have proper verbiage in our borough bylaws stating ways certain things are done.
All normal things to talk about. What’s abnormal is the conflict surrounding these things. These are the foundational technicalities for which our party stands on. I would think they should be in writing. Personal opinion. If someone can explain to me otherwise I’m all ears.

These things were again in conflict when the chairmans comment to a member suggesting they make a contribution if they really wanted to help the committee sparked Casteels emotionally angry rant .

In Lending an opinion of my experience in this situation I don’t want to come off as too sympathetic towards the defendant here. But I was there in the meeting and saw everything that lead up to the specific criminal allegations. Casteel accused Chair of some pretty serious mishandling before being shouted down.
As facts emerge to what brought this otherwise nice man to such a point of desperation, I feel that some may change their perspective of this situation as a whole. Sometimes people blow up, it happens….But almost Never for No reason at all.
There could be things that he may know that could’ve driven him to this point of aggravation. Unfortunately He’s in jail now and can’t speak for himself but we will find out the truth ASAP.
The specific things that he said i won’t repeat for reasons of here-say, but I will say the Casteel “I have proof and The I’ll be back” comment could be taken a few different ways and was highly confusing in the moment.

A few of us were looking out from a window that overlooks the parking lot but couldn’t see the altercation.
Although I did not see a gun pulled, I was one of the first people outside after Casteel drove off. I was immediately told by both Mike Doyle and Paul Dern that a gun was pulled.
I can’t speak on Casteel or his intentions. I know that man has a family and like anyone, he should get the presumption of innocence until all of the facts come out. I know my experiences. If what Doyle and Dern are saying is the absolute truth and Casteel drew his gun on them in an act of aggression then they conducted themselves accordingly that night and should be commended.
I know Jerry Purcell (Candidate for Council) was right there armed and prepared protect! Not sure how much more will come out here but I’m so glad no one was hurt.

The passion our party has for what’s right in this society runs on all levels.
Unfortunately MENTAL HEALTH stability is a universal issue and doesn’t discriminate to specific situations. If we can’t control our emotions then how can we possibly be role models to the ones who matter most…these Kids.

Any attempt to spin this into a blanket representation of a group of people is highly irresponsible and unproductive to the progression of democracy.

Please join this ongoing conversation if you have something productive to add. If you were there that night and have a completely different perspective then mine, please share. We should all be here to help each other navigate these situations as a community.

Thanks for reading friends.

04/21/2023

Although Phil Sewell is on the ballot for May 16th , be sure NOT to vote for Me! I can NOT hold the seat due to a temporary technicality explained in a prior post.

That said I have been paying more attention to this election than any prior year. At the end of this post I will express who I feel would be responsible enough to hold the 5 Plum school board seats available.

First I want to clarify a few things within Renee’s comments to my previous post.

There are things that I would like to see out of the next school board we are creating in this election. I want to see innovative thought and unity through communication. Diversity is important but what’s more important then skin color to me is Diverse ideas for a better future. Although its important and pertinent at times, Focusing on race constantly has to be exhausting.

Ideally I would like to see a board focused on the issues Plum students face everyday. Mental Health awareness, staying motivated, building and or learning something new and exciting. We should be teaching kids about the economy , how taxes work , how to fill out a resume online or how to be interviewed for a dream job and the list goes on…
I’m still searching for a candidate with a plan or a different perspective other then “Vote for me because I’m awesome blah blah blah…

Although I’m saddened that Renee and Justin felt singled out by my questions , I still felt they were pertinent to ask. The other candidates don’t have the background you both have in DEI hence why they weren’t asked those specific questions in such capacities.

The fact that bullying board members into voting a certain way definitely happens here I’ll take that even further to say that having DEI incorporated in all aspects of our schools opens the door for a lot of things not having to do with Reading ,Writing , and Arithmetic. In being asked these questions candidates can do one of two things..
1. Get Defensive , Deflect and claim victim.
2. Explain that their only agenda is to keep kids safe and headed in the right direction with a plan to get there or something along those lines.
Not much room for middle ground there.

Renee said a lot to say how important DEI is and I agree with mostly all of it. The fact that she goes into so much detail only further solidifies my thoughts on who she is and how she would move on the board. It’s not up to me. I’m only one vote. The community will decide . Good luck Renee I’m sorry we didn’t take the same things away from our conversation but I do appreciate having it.

Tom Feeney for Plum School Director you’re not gonna be able to play both sides forever. I respect your hustle but I didn’t include you here for my own reasons. But since you claimed I’m spreading misinformation ( which is false ) here is how I feel about your candidacy..
I feel like your hard to trust. In no way will you make everyone happy. Half of these people appreciate and understand what I’m saying the other half I’m sure can’t stand me. But that’s ok with me because I know what I’m saying is true and accurate regardless. I’m not here to make friends although I am a friendly person so if friends come great. But I’m only involving myself in these conversations because I have deep concerns for the direction we are heading if left wing ideologies are monopolized on this School board.
Tom If you’re a republican grow some 🏀🏀.
If you’re a democrat be that. But don’t act like you just agree with everybody because it’s so disingenuous . Btw Your perspective on my reality isn’t what my post was about. You didn’t have to say anything here but felt the need to insert yourself for attention. You have a lot to learn about Plum dude. Good luck in the future.

In closing there are some really great people running for Plum School Board. If I could chose 6 right now but not in any particular order they would be..

1. Mark Stropkaj
2. Linsey Arenth
3. Eric Gumkowski
4. Adam Hill
5. Arron Butler
6. Gary Motor

Good luck to all candidates. I do believe in the greater good prevailing, if you disagree you can keep it moving or create your own post talking about your thoughts and experiences. These are mine. Thanks friends.

04/20/2023

💜💛 Good Morning Plum Friends!

Last night I attended the Democratic Candidate Meet And Greet for Plum School board and Plum Council .
I honestly expected there to be more people there. It concerns me that more people don’t show up to these things.
My Overall view of the endorsed Democrats on the surface was a pleasant one.
More than candidates I witnessed parents . Not of one party or another , rather people who didn’t need to be there but chose to be for the greater good hopefully…That said I’m not naïve . I know what’s actually been going on with this board and I have real concerns as it wether or not the Constituents actually have a say as to what’s being done here.

Adam Hill
Adam was first and seemingly most eager to meet and talk to me almost as soon as I entered the room. I appreciated that. Adam has an enthusiasm for students that stand out amongst the rest.
He believes Mental Health and wellness is an important issue and was actually the only candidate to even bring it up within his introduction speech.
Academic success can only be achieved through mental stability and I feel that he agrees with this truth.

Justin Newman
Justin is a nice guy but seemed very off put by my questions.
I asked How would his background DEI would effect his decision making when it came to being on the Plum School board ?
And would he ever consider implementing CRT into curriculum.
These questions are legit very reasonable.

His answer was redirected at me asking if I knew what CRT even was? And then proceeded to sit wait for me to explain to him the what exactly Critical Race Theory was. (Mind you he’s there making himself available to answer questions from district residents he seeks to represent.)

He goes on to say how since it’s a college course why would I even ask this crazy question!? The interaction was odd .
Other noted oddity from that interaction was that some women to whom I’m sure I can find out who she was , stormed out on my conversation with Justin.
This was odd because I asked him who she was and he had no idea?… Weird because she seemed really interested in our conversation while we were having it.

Note: If your seeking votes to be on my child’s School board I have to right to ask you a question without being grilled of my knowledge on the subject.
The reason I’m asking is based on my knowledge of the subject.
I’m very mindful of People who can’t handle or get uncomfortable when asked hard questions . This isnt someone I would feel is open to public opinion.

All of my other interactions last night were pleasant. Not to say the one with Justin didn’t end ok, I am just genuinely interested in the candidates and their goals and motives for our District. Some candidates were just more comfortable with that then others.
But this isn’t something I will let up on people!

Renee Richards
Renee was so gracious. I like her a lot but have some concerns about her ideas of implementing DEI into all aspects of society. I’m paraphrasing but thats the gist of what I got from her when I asked “how her background in DEI would effect decision making on the board?”

My opinion:
There are many places Diversity , Equity, and inclusion can be implemented more into society for sure! That said there is a limited number of hours in our students school days to learn as much highly educational information as possible.

DEI is great for those who actually need it..but it can’t be used as a Trojan horse to impose left wing ideology.

We have to be careful that our students aren’t being used as political pawns, in some false narrative made up by people who have a deep rooted hatred for this country.
Most Kids would benefit by knowing some harsh realities of a world that’s not gonna hand you everything just because you feel bad.

Amy Wetmore
Amy has been nothing but nice to me thus far. I’m sure we have disagreements but I feel like her heart is in the right place . I’ll keep you posted on my thoughts of her positions as I learn more about them.

I will also say Jimmy McBride came up to me and said hello. I appreciated that James and I would love to talk more sometime about your future goals.

If you were not mentioned here but were a candidate at the meet and greet last night Im sorry we missed each other.

Ryan D and Mike C seemed to have nothing to say or add to conversations I was having with other candidates during intros..Which is fine, I wish them the best .
None of them have to step up for the community but do anyways. This isn’t an easy thing and I commend all candidates for taking the time out of their lives to do this. I will continue to oversee the election and make sure our community is as informed as possible. Thanks for reading friends.

GO VOTE ON MAY 16th!
Last day for registration is May 1st! 🗳️🦾🤓

03/29/2023

💜💛
There is an ultimate plan and a reason for everything.

Friends
Due to unforeseen circumstances I have to withdraw my name from the ballot and forfeit my candidacy for Plum School Board.

Unbeknownst to me a guilty assault conviction from back in 2004 deems me ineligible to hold the seat I was seeking.
Only a governors pardon can change this outcome. I am currently in the process of contacting the people necessary to fix this unfortunately it’s most likely too late.

I’m far from perfect but, One day the facts surrounding my conviction will come to light and clear my name . Until then I’ll continue to fight for Plum to the best of my ability.

This election cycle will go by without my name on the ballot but that doesn’t mean that the Issues Ive been stressing go away.
To the current board members, I am your ally and this is only the beginning. I have nothing but time and opportunity so we will become friends one way or another.
Massive action needs to be taken to reverse the mental health and academic decline here. Take this seriously because our kids are suffering in silence.

Good luck to all candidates continuing on. Each of you have a responsibility to do what’s necessary to empower the future creatives, athletes, and critical thinkers out of Plum Boro.
Thank you to all of my supporters! I get emotional thinking about how many people I’ve reached that feel the same as I do on these issues. I’ll be back . I Love Yinz! Peace always! 🦾

💜💛

03/27/2023

Any current Board Members who want to work with me in the future, I would appreciate it if we can put the politics aside for the few critical bipartisan issues we face in Plum.
This is gonna take all of us! Not just a few. We may have to put some feelings aside, We may have to hold our tongues at times. Bottom line is we need to respect each other fully on both sides of the isle. Disrespect is a non starter for me .

03/26/2023

🦾🤓 Question of the week! 💜💛

This is such a great question, so thoughtfully written and respectful. I appreciate you taking the time and consideration for the community to ask this question because this may seem far fetched to some people.

Gist of Question :
How can I implement these policies/
How am I possibly going to make sure everyone starts exercising, eating healthier, and getting proper sleep more consistently.

Exact question in comments of last post.

My Answer :

The fact is what I’m requesting requires a team of people, a “board” if you will. That can come together on this bipartisan issue and speak in a universal language concerning Mental Health, fitness and taking DAILY accountability towards it. We all need to recognize its importance and lead by example starting from the Top Down.
Truth is a large number of us only worry about health when we are sick, but do little to prevent illness daily. What I’m proposing could potentially save lives but only if we are all on the same page. If we treat this with the urgency it requires we can make a MASSIVE Change.

📚
In the book the “War of Art”
Author ✍🏽Steven Pressfeild highlights the forms of “resistance” faced by artists,athletes,entrepreneurs and others trying to overcome creative barriers.

The gist of the book is that if we commit to giving into “resistance” for a set amount of time each day, magical things happen. What he means by “Resistance” is simply being lazy and or making excuses as to why we don’t have time to start or continue a project, goal, or dream.
Your resistance meter fills up daily. If we
“Empty our resistance meter” once a day we will succeed at an extremely high level of achievement.

Now obviously Mr. Prefeild exaggerates by saying magic happens, but what he’s talking about does eventually change lives. With a consistent plan that is continually executed , over time you get the thing you were looking for. For Some the journey takes longer for some then others, but it will happen! It’s just how the universe works.
Reputation strengthens and confirms. 👏👏

📚Calling ALL
GYM & HEALTH TEACHERS IN PLUM 🗣️🔈

Gym/Health classes are going to have to take the lead on this vision because they are truly gonna be the oversight committee for our students progress. The curriculum in these classes may have to be tweaked slightly to add new issues but for the most part these are where we first learn about health and physical fitness.

But HOW Though! 🤔

The physical part:
My suggestion is to set up some type of tier system to calculate the physical capabilities of all students in the district. Every student has a gym class. Gym class is where kids will be provided their weekly “Move Card” on the first gym class of that week. With close to 40 weeks in a school year we can set small attainable goals throughout the year to help with confidence and consistency.

We are only gracious and mindful in everyone’s capacities. This program has a zero tolerance policy on bullying and or making one another feel less then in any form. All of our strengths lie within us at different capacities. I’m small and always have been. But I’m fast. Some people are big but super strong. Point is everyone has something that they can utilize to shape mold and form into something beautiful if they would take the time to do it. Even if it was forced upon them at first . We as the Adults know what’s best for our children. Their Mental Health should be Top priority these days. We need to stop wasting time on this.

Back to the tiers. Tiers can be set up thru physical fitness test both timed and not .

Pull-ups
sit-ups
1 mile/half mile/quarter mile timed jog/walk
Etc..

Starting point tests will be constructed and overseen by gym teachers. 😏

The weekly “Move Cards”

These card will have daily slots to fill In activities completed for that day.

Kids can chose their path to success!

Body weight exercises are a great way to start moving weight around with your muscles to start stretching/strengthening them.

Walking/jogging/running gives you a full body workout .

The harder you work at either of these the more you will benefit overall.

1. 50 push-ups or sit-ups = 1/4 mile walk/jog

2. 100 push-ups or sit-ups = 1/2 mile walk/jog

3. 15 minutes consistent Heavy Bag 🥊

4. Etc…

these numbers are not exact and can be redone later to make more sense.

Students will be given an opportunity in school each day to complete their daily move cards.
These cards can also be completed at home only if card is signed by parents .
We can discuss Sports practices or extracurricular activities being accepted as appropriate card sign off situations.

Like anything there will be a learning curve that everyone will have to work through. But that’s why we have leaders to guide us through the process.

The Superintendent could shine a spotlight on one participant student each week from each school of exceptional fitness.
Some type of incentive will be given to motivate. 🎁

District Leaders and Board members we are not off the hook!

The Superintendent, All Board members, teachers, and other staff will be encouraged to participate in the move cards as well! This shows our students that we are not hypocritical because we are willing to do what it takes for our own health as well. Again I can’t stress enough the importance of a Universal Conversation on Mental Healthcare.

There’s a whole educational aspect of Mental Health that I haven’t touched on at all but is just as important and needs to be addressed as well.
This is where our HEALTH Teachers and guidance counselors need to step up and lead the charge teaching about this crisis.

🤓
FYI and full disclosure…I am not an expert.
Im not a Doctor or mental health professional. I’m no personal trainer and I certainly do NOT have all the answers. It takes a Village.
Any suggestions would be much appreciated by parents, teachers, current board members, and kids as well.

Thank you for reading my ideas. Please feel free to leave a comment if it can help.

03/25/2023

Negativity will be promptly deleted from this page. I am here to help. I want this to be a safe place free of negative people without solutions to the problems we face.

03/24/2023

💜💛
Our Future Is Bright in Plum Boro !

🏞️Parks and Recreation 🏃🏾🚴‍♂️🏃🏽🚴‍♂️🏃🏻🏃🏽

We have so many natural resources in our own back yard thats rarely utilized! Miles and miles of walking/biking trails, creeks, parks and recreational areas just waiting for a new visitors everyday
In the US alone, 42% of adults are vitamin D deficient, while 50% of children aged between one and five and 70% of children aged between six and 11 have low vitamin D stores.
😳✊🏾The statistics are even higher for people with dark skin. Nearly 63% of Hispanic adults and 82% of African American adults are vitamin D deficient as of Nov 30, 2022

Reference @ healthmatch

Though these are disturbing findings,
with some light funding we can set up events to create healthy activities that help bring Joy and make things interesting for kids all the while increasing deficient Vitamin D in their bodies! My girls and I love nature. Nothing compares to the smell of fresh!

School Atmosphere

🙌🏽☀️📚🤓👂📚

As I understand it complaints have been heavy about the overall look/gloom of the original Oblock now for no reason whatsoever called Plum Middle School (PMS) . Side note: whose idea was this and how it was passed is astonishing to me. If someone can explain in length why that was more important then say anything inside the school that may need done, I would greatly appreciate it.
All the while Plum academic scores are dropping rapidly in between those 2 important junior high years.
This name change seemed to be more important than trying to figure out how to reverse declining trends. This is “Common Sense” if what your doing isn’t working maybe take MASSIVE action to make changes.

Unfortunately We should be thinking about new ways to make junior high more attractive for this generation. This is where we can implement some different art culture 🖼️ , musicians, motivational quotes, and maybe even an Oprah singer microphone or two🎙️ , something different at every turn. Upgrades this school maybe should’ve have had when they first remodeled in when I went there in 98’ (Go Mustangs🏀).

High School 🏫
High school not so much but still important as well. The traditional look isn’t cutting it for these tech smart minds. If we are talking about 20 million in renovations over the next 10 years we need to make sure those contracts make sense given past spending issues. But my point is These place should be full of fun and excitement! An Idea chamber of growing minds that Want to attend our schools.
Kids should be excited it’s Thursday because it’s trail day in math! Or it’s the last Friday of the month so a representative of Nike is coming to give a talk on the connections between sports and clothing and they’re importance to different Cultures.
Maybe these are far fetched ideas or maybe they can be done either way we need to make a conscious effort to do better for our kids. Were losing them more and more. This being ok with declining trends is wrong. Don’t let this continue.

Events 🗣️
These kids would benefit tremendously from motivational speaker events, physical Challenge events, More Pep rally events then throw a music festival at the end of the year and invite the community.

Of course I understand things cost money but where would you rather see any money go (tax payer money or otherwise) a new sign or downsize their $60,000 designs way down and put some money into the interiors.

Thanks for reading friends. I’m open for expansion to my thoughts or comments and ideas from the public.

03/23/2023

💜💛
Within a few short days we’ve gotten over 100 likes/follows, hundreds of views and dozens of positive interactions on this Page!

I’m not a popular person by far, I’ve just been given a platform to shed light on some really important issues and it’s resonating with this community. I’ll continue presenting suggestions for change.

Thank you for all of the bipartisan support so far friends! The work hasnt even begun! 🏃🏽💨💨

Phil Sewell For Voices of Plum Politics

11/08/2023

05/16/2023

05/05/2023

04/29/2023

04/21/2023

04/20/2023

03/29/2023

03/27/2023

03/26/2023

03/25/2023

03/24/2023

03/23/2023

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